Process for refining oil



June 24, 1930. w. JOHNSON PROCESS FOR REFINING, OIL

Original Filed Iarch 27. 1922 INVENTOR (z/fer gig/wagon A TTORNEYS Patented June 24, 1930 PATENT orrica WALTER JOHNSON, OF 'HOUSTON, TEXAS rnoonss non nnnmine OIL Application filed March. 27, 1922, Serial No. 547,072. Renewed October 25,1929

This invention relates to an apparatus for refining oil.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus adapted for refining crude oil '5 in a highly efficient and economical manner. It is also an object of the invention that the apparatus be adapted for either bleaching or crackin oils.

A further ject of the invention is that the apparatus be of suchconstruction that every possibility of explosion during the operation thereof when refining oil is eliminated.

It is a still further object of the invention that the apparatus be adapted to generate steam if so desired. 1

Other objects and objects relating to details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts will hereinafter appear in the detailed description to follow.

The invention is illustrated by way of exam- -ple in the accompanying drawings, in which the figure represents a vertical sectional view of the apparatus when fully assembled, and

i the units thereof connected.

upon the foundation The shell 10 is re-' inforced by the bands 12 which are preferably two in number, one occurring adjacent eac end of the shell. The lower end of the shell is open and communicates with an opening 15 in the foundation F. Extending upwardly through the opening 15 is a pipe 16 which communicates with the atmosphere at its outer end and is formed at its, upper or inner end with a funnel shaped portion 17. Within.

the funnel shaped portion 17 there is disposed a burner nozzle 18 which communicates with a supply pipe 19, said supply pipe havin a control valve 20 and may be connecte to any desirable source of fuel supply such as gas or oil.

Within the shell 10 there is positioned a tubular coil 13 which is preferably spiral so that each convolution 13' thereof will be disposed inan inclined plane. The coil 13 is supported within the shell 10 by the ribs 14 The upper end of the shell 10 communicates with a. stack 21, said stack having its base 21 telescoping the upper end of the shell flow therethrough may be controlled. The

tank 22 has its upper end' closed by a head 28; and the coil 13 within the-shell 10 of the unit H communicates with the tank 22 at each of its ends. The lower, end of the coil 13 communicates with similar end of the tank 22 as at 26, and the upper end thereof communicates with the tank 22 at a point adjacent the upper end of the tank 22 as at 28. Adjacent the point 26' the coil is connected with a supply pipe which is provided with a suitable valve, and said supply pipe and valve being generally indicated by the reference numeral 27". 1

The unit Cconsists in a tank 29 which is preferably cylindrical and within which there is disposed a tubular coil 30. The coil 30 is properly supported, by having its ends extended through thewalls of the tank 29, and the end 31 is connected with the upper end of the tank 22, while the end 32 of said coil is extended from the tank 29. The tank 29 has its lower end closed by a head 33 which communicates with the pipe 34, said pipe being provided with a valve 35. The upper end of the tank communicates with a pipe 36, said pipe being provided with a valve 37 and beingextended to the heating unit H and connected to a pipe 38.

The casing 10 is provided with a plurality of orifices 39, one for each of the convolutions m0 of the coil 13, and each orifice communicates with the associated coil. Each orifice 39 has associated therewith. a needle valve 40, and said valve in each instance being adapted to establish communication between the pipe 38 and the interior of the associated convolution 13. One of valves 40 has connected therewith a nozzle 4:1 which communicates with a compressed air supply pipe 42 which is provided with a valve 42.

When using the present apparatus for refining crude oil the operation is as follows: The tank 22 is filled. with oil to the level indicated in the drawings and heat is applied to the coil 13 from the burner 18. The valve 27 is closed and the oil is introduced into the tank 22 through the supply pipe 27 The supply pipe is closed after the tank has been filled to the proper level. It is'important to observe that the coil 13 communicates with a chamber in the upper end of the tank 22, said chamber existing between the upper end of tank and level of liquid therewithin.

' In refining oil by the application of'heat the lighter oils including gasoline, benzene and naphtha evaporate at lower temperatures than kerosene and the lubricating stocks. The gasoline begins evaporation at the temperature of about 110 F. which is known as the initial-point of evaporation.- The end-point of evaporation of gasoline is about 371 F. In evaporating asoline from crude oil a quantity of the rec hydrogen gas is found in the kerosene, hence in re-running kerosene the same begins evaporation at the tempera ture of 270 F. although the end-point of the gasoline is 371 F. This phenomenon is the effect of reheating the gasoline and is generally known as cracking. The end-point of evaporation of kerosene is about 575" F. After the kerosene is evaporated from the crude oil upon the temperature of the residue being increased the lubricating oils begin to evapor'ate. The lighter of the lubricating oils or stocks begin evaporation at 575 F. and the heavier stocks evaporate at about 800 F.

By this explanation it becomes obvious that if it is desired to take from the crude oil gasoline when applying the proper heat to the coil 13 the vapors resulting'would be the light and would collect in the upper end of the tank 22. 'The circulation created in the coil 13 would cause a continuous renewing of the crude oil in said coil from the tank 22 when the level of the oil falls below the upper end of the coil 13 which leads into tank 22. There would be no circulation of the crude oil in tank 22. The level of the oil would gradually lower as the process of refinin would proceed. The gasoline vapors col acted in the upper end of the tank 22 would proceed through the coil 30 within the tank 29 and if desired the tank 29 could be filled with water and utilized as a condenser for the gasoexplosion is overcome.

residue of the crude oil after the gasoline vapors have been driven off would remain in the tank 22. These oils coming from the upper end of the coil 13 would keep the upper surface of the oil within the tank 22 at a high temperature and thus do away with the possibility of any condensation of the asoline vapors taking place in the upper en of the tank 22. It is of course to be understood that the gasoline and kerosene may be separated from the crude oil under the one operation and separated at a later period after the. same have passed from the coil 30 and into collecting chamber of tank 29.

It should be here pointed out that by heating the oil to evaporate or refine the same in the method described that any possibility of In the ordinary method of refining crude oil, the oil is run into aboiler beneath which a heat is applied and heating the entire volume of the oil slowly to bring it up to its evaporating temperature,

The slow heating is done in order to prevent fomentation and explosion. In my invention when the crude oil is passed into the coil 13 the fomentation begins immediately and expires upon the oil reaching the temperature of approximately 500 F.

In separating the oil, the same are usually at the same time bleached. As is well known, oil must be bleached in the presence of steam, and if the steam is supplied to the oil at about the same temperature of the oil the bleaching is more thorough. In the event the steam is superheated in pipes through auxiliary means there is no positive regulation of the temperature thereof. Should the steam be raised to an excessive temperature the result is that burning of the lubricating oils takes place, and if the steam is at too low a temperature the oil again condenses and the operating efliciency of the refining apparatus is decreased.

In the present instance assume that the tank 22 is filled to a level iminediatel below the point 28 with the medium and eavier oils of crude oil which evaporate at the temperature of from 400 to 800 F. Knowing as we do that saturated steam under pressure of' 500 lbs. must have a temperature of 460 F., the possibility of utilizing the vapors of the oil when passing through the coil 30 and tank 29 to generate steam becomes apparent. The tank 29 may be partially filled with water through the pipe 34 and the steam generated therein will collect in'the upper end of the tank. The valve 37 of-the pipe 36 may be opened to supply steam to the pipe 38. 0w by manipulating the valves 40 a predetermined amount of steam can be introduced into each convolution of the coil 13 and thus intermingling the steam with the oil vapors for bleaching the same.

Inferring that the oil vapors passing through the coil 30 havinga temperature of heavy oils from crude convolutions of the coil 13 by the valves 40 accelerates and sprays the oil in the convolutions of the coil and causes a greater temperature of the vapors and oils when passing into the tank 22. When the commingled oil vapor and steam pass into the tank 22 the same will in this condition pass into the coil 30, while the uneva'porated oils will of course drop into the tank 22. The steam and oil vapors may be separated to a certain extent when passing through coil 30 and the separation continued after leaving the coil 30 in any desirable way. Also it may be here mentioned that during the passage of the crude oil through the coil 13 that the collection of sediment may take'place in the convolutions of the coil, and that said sediment will collect at the lowest point in each convolution. This point occurs adjacent each orifice 39 and. therefore when injecting steam under pressure through said orifices the sediment would naturally be swept away and thus eliminating the possibility of clogging-the coils by collection of sediment.

When using my apparatus for cracking oil, the oil is fed into the tank 22 to the level indicated in the drawings and the heat applied from the burner 18. The oil vapors will pass from the upper end of the coil 13 into the similar end of the tank 22 and from thence into the coil 30. Steam will be enerated' within the tank 29. In this instance ot water only should be pumped .into the tank; 29 through the pipe 34. The water in tank 29 will be under pressure generated by the heat in coil 30 and permits any, desirable temperature to be maintained in coil 30. Assuming that the temperature maintained at the lower end of the coil 30 is 350 the temperature would be sufiicient to prevent condensation of the steam in the coil 30 commingling with the vapors. By maintaining the temperature lower than 350 F. at the lower end of the coil 30 the heavier vapors condense and run to a supply tank which may be connected to the lower end of the coil and the lighter gasoline vapors remaining in a gaseous form and pass to a suitable cooling condenser and thus separated from the heavier distillate. The heavier distillate which passes through the coil 30 maybe pumped back into a tank 22 and the separation of the lighter vapors continued. As is obvious the oil vapors and steam passing through coil H- are not subjected to pressure. The coil H is subjected to a high temperature without danger of explosion and thus establishing a process of cracking oil which is exceedingly economical.

The present apparatus may also be employed for making motor fuel of somewhat different character. In making this fuel the same process may be carried out as for cracking oil hereinbefore described with the exception that there is introduced a predetermined amount of air through the valve 41 for the pur ose of supplying the necessary nitrogen an oxygen.

' It iscalso important to be here stated that the present apparatus may be employed for generating steam to be used for power purposes. In generating steam for this pur ose the units R and H are used, a tank 22 is led with water to a point below the inlet of the coil 13 and heat is applied from the burner 18 to the coil 13. The heat applied to the coil will evaporate the water and force the steam generated into the upper end of the tank 22. The water within the tank 22 will circulate slowly and will continuously renew the water within the coil 13. The water returning from the coil 13 into the tank 22 ed steam may be generated to a. high pressure without danger of explosion.

It also may be mentioned that the appa-- ratus will operate at a higher elficiency for the reason that the heat is efliciently applied. Also any sediment which may be in the water will collect at the lowest'point of the convolutions of the coil 13 and such sediment as is apparent will not interfere with the conductiop of the heat by the convolutions of said (:01

I claim v 1. Aprocess for treating mineral oil which comprises heating a vertical helically arranged column of the oil, supplying steam at different horizontal levels to the column of 0% and forcing air into the heated column of 01 Y v 2. A process for treating mineral oil which comprises heating a vertical helically arranged column of the oil, supplying steam at different horizontal levels to the column of oil and forcing air into the heated columnof oil, at a point intermediate the opposite ends of said column. I

WALTER JOHNSON. 

